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01 August 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. George G. Brackett, the mother of Lt. Brackett

18 October 1943: Commissioned, Lt. John H. Roskilly, Jr., in command

23 November 1945: Decommissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Cal. after 2.1 years of service

05 December 1945: Struck from the NVR

22 May 1947: Sold for scrapping to the National Metal and Steel Corp., Terminal Island, Los Angeles, Cal.

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Bruce Godfrey Brackett, born on 16 October 1915 in Seattle, Wash., enlisted in the Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1936 and served on board New York (BB 34), Colorado (BB 45), and Hopkins (DD 249). He was appointed an aviation cadet on 5 September 1939 and, following training as a naval aviator (heavier than air) at Pensacola, Fla., received a commission as an ensign on 15 April 1940. Brackett's first assignment was to Cruiser Scouting Squadron (VCS) 9 on board Honolulu (CL 48) to which he reported on 22 June. The light cruiser operated out of Pearl Harbor through 1941 and was moored in the Navy Yard when the Japanese attacked on 7 December. Honolulu suffered only minor hull damage and was initially assigned convoy escort duty between the United States, Australia, and Samoa. Promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in June 1942, Brackett spent the summer months of 1942 in the Aleutian Islands on board Honolulu. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1942, he transferred to a VP squadron and began to fly PBY combat scouting missions for Task Force 67 (TF67, or Cactus Strike Force consisted of five DD's based at Guadalcanal) during the Battle of Tassafaronga in November and out of Espiritu Santo early in 1943. From 16 December 1942 to 14 January 1943, Lt. Brackett flew hazardous missions to seek out the "Tokyo Express," the nightly reinforcement runs of warships down the slot that separated two chains of islands in the Solomons group. On his missions, he distinguished himself by valor when faced with heavy Japanese antiaircraft fire. Without regard to his personal safety, he and his crew illuminated hostile targets for PT boat squadrons to attack. During the stormy night of 14 and 15 January, his PBY Catalina was shot down over Savo Island while assisting the PT boats engaging a nine-destroyer "express" run. Lt. Brackett was officially declared dead on 23 January and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroism.

USS Brackett (DE 41) (1943-1945) was the first ship to be named in his honor. (Photo courtesy of Freebase Data)

Bill Gonyo

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1 November 1943: Bremerton, Wash. - Taken off the Puget Sound Navy Yard. (Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection, U.S. National Archives)

Jerry Church

View the USS Brackett (DE41) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.
View a short article on the design and development of the Evarts Class DE submitted by Bob Sables.

Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list only a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists or rosters available. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section on Navsource's Main Page for that information.